Behind Hidden Doors
by Style Over Comfort
Summary: AU After five detainees from Hueco Mundo have been released for no apparent reason, the people closest to Ichigo Kurosaki are being targeted. Ichigo must go on a covert mission to find out who's behind it all; but will he be in time to stop it? R&R Please
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I prefer Tide anyways.

Prologue

Hueco Mundo

Unknown, Japan

When the guards arrived at the isolation cells of Hueco Mundo's "Chamber 5", where the five most dangerous and highest-intelligence-value detainees resided, they were in a worse mood than usual.

And it had little to do with the unbearable, cold weather.

Something was wrong.

The looks of pure hatred and disgust were easy to find amongst many of the guards as they pulled out the five residing prisoners from their cells and ordered them at gunpoint to strip.

* * *

At 26 years of age, Gin Ichimaru was the youngest criminal to ever be put in "Chamber 5".

He was also definitely the creepiest.

The smile that never left his face granted the famous assassin the nickname "Smiling Death". Videos of his kills were rumored to be posted on various websites across the internet. To his hirers, he was known as the most reliable to finish the job as well as the most expensive. To Japan, he was commonly referred to as a devil and a sadistic bastard responsible for the death of over five hundred Japanese citizens.

As Gin's cold and calculating mind tried to decipher the meaning behind stripping down to nothing, his thoughts were interrupted by a bag filled with something (clothes?) finding its way to his face. A soldier stood a couple feet in front observing the reaction of the five soldiers.

As blanks appeared on all faces, he rolled his eyes.

"Get dressed!" he ordered in perfect Japanese.

Confusion etched on all faces, the prisoners hesitantly removed the civilian clothing from their own individual bags and started to get dressed. As the men glanced at each other with the obvious question written on their faces, Gin's paranoia kicked in as he couldn't help but think if this was all just a ruse to catch them all by surprise.

Damn his paranoia.

But then again, his paranoia was the only reason he had made it so far.

His thoughts were once again interrupted by the mumble of conversation that made its way to his ears.

"This shit ain't right, how the fuck are we supposed to just give up these sons of-"

"You, shut up!" barked the person who looked like he was in charge.

Yes something definitely wasn't right.

The prisoners were abruptly shoved towards the door. Any of them hoping to make sense of things once they were outside had that plan dashed as one by one; black hoods were placed over each man's head before being taken to the waiting group of Army green Hummers.

* * *

Before having the heavy hood removed from his head, Gin already knew where they were headed to. Making out the distinct sound of jet engines, he assumed they were at an air base.

He assumed correctly.

Once the hoods were removed, the prisoners found themselves facing a larger-than-ordinary plane. Once again, Gin's brain went to work. The confusion on his face soon turned into realization as he took a step forward. When the guards did nothing but scowl and stroke the triggers of their M-16's, he took another.

And another.

Increasing his pace every step, Gin could hear the rest of the prisoners catching on and making their way to the metal steps that lead to freedom. As Gin made his cautious approach to the cabin, his paranoia kicked in. Thoughts of the pilot giving his own life to get rid of five potential threats got in his head. He dismissed it immediately.

The Japanese were too soft to attempt something like that.

As he made his way to one of the many seats available, Gin felt a presence behind him. Turning around he was met by the plane's first officer, who looked down at his clipboard to compare photos. Removing a heavy black suitcase he said, "We were told to give you this."

Waiting until the first officer left, he slowly opened the suitcase which then revealed six manila envelopes. Reading the contents a large smile spread across his already smiling face.

It was done.

Revenge was his.

* * *

A/N: How was that for a prologue? This is my very first fanfic, or any story of that manner, so let me know if there's anything I need to work on :) I got this idea after reading The First Commandment by Brad Thor. Awesome story by the way, you should definitely check it out.

I should probably update once a week (hopefully?) depending on my schedule and/or inspiration :P

Please Read and Review!

Peace - SOC


	2. Chapter 1

**So… been a while yes? Haha.. Sorry. I got sidetracked with school and other unfortunate things. I'll explain all at the end so please read on! :D**

**To my only reviewer CJ: :D Thanks for taking the time to review this :) As for your comment, yeah I was aiming for that creepy feel :P Lemmeh know what else I need to work on thanks :DD**

Chapter 1

Karakura Town, Japan Three Months Later

Thunder struck the windowpane as Ichigo Kurosaki awoke from his slumber. He groggily rubbed his eyes as he glanced at his standard clock on his nightstand.

_4:00 AM_

He groaned. He closed his eyes trying to find the entrance to the land of sleep once more.

_CLANG!_

The banging if pots and pans woke him up once more. Powered by a mixture of instinct and adrenaline, he rolled off his bed and reached for the drawer on his nightstand. It came down with a crash. Coins, painkillers, pens, and broken phone that he swore he would fix one day all spilled onto his wood floor.

Everything was in its place, except for what he needed most at that moment; his gun.

Ichigo stood up, his inner self screaming at him to find a weapon, while at the same time berating his for going to sleep without one. But he _had _slept with a weapon. He was sure of it. Nothing was making sense.

He slowly opened the door and made way for the darkness of the hallway. He reached for the light switch, something to cure him of this temporary blindness. And that's when he felt it, a sticky substance. He located the light switch and flicked it on to see the wall, the floor, and the ceiling all covered with blood.

He felt like vomiting as the putrid scent of rotting flesh and dried blood made its way into his nose. He stumbled along the hallway. There was so much blood everywhere. Where had it come from? _Who_ had it come from?

_THUD!_

The sound of something heavy dropping had came from the kitchen. Ichigo slowly worked up the courage to open the sliding door that led there. He slowly slid it open.

Nothing.

The kitchen that he spent so little time in was still as if he was staring at a picture. He stepped in further, looking for any sign of disturbance. Finding none he breathed a sigh of relief. He rubbed his temples as he left the kitchen.

The blood. His gun. The sounds.

None of it was making any sense. He opened his front door to grab some fresh air.

That's when he saw it.

The body of the woman that had taken care of him for his whole life, drowning in blood. His eyes widened. He rushed to his mother's side looking for any hint of life. Her cold lifeless eyes stared at him with emptiness.

A sudden uneasiness filled Ichigo as he felt someone else staring at him. He turned around in time to see a blur of a shadow moving across the bright moonlight. He looked around for a weapon, anything to use against this bastard.

He spotted a shovel lying a few feet away and made his way towards it when a long, black knife made its way across his neck and pressed against his throat.

* * *

Karakura Hospital Karakura Town, Japan

Ichigo's head snapped back so suddenly that the whiplash woke him. It took him a while to look around and recognize where he was. He glanced around the hospital to see the small desk that he had dozed off on, wet with perspiration, was still where he had left it; as well as the room's patient, Masaki Kurosaki.

Ichigo stared at her body, trying to determine if her body had moved at all during his nap, but she remained in her coma. She had been a victim of an anonymous assassin's bullet seven days ago, and she hadn't been responsive to any of the tests they had given her here.

Ichigo had his hands in his face as he stared at the ground. This had all been his fault, if he had only been there he could have prevented this from happening. E held her hand once more, trying to communicate, trying to tell her he was sorry, that he wished to be in her place instead, anything to get rid of the guilt and pain inside him.

Her face gave away nothing, he expected her to wake up and smile at him, to tell him it was all alright, to hug him again like he was a little boy. His eyes welled with tears as he realized he might never experience those feelings again.

Gently, he let go of her hands and stood.

**Okay I know it looks bad haha.. I t sounded good in my head D: Anyways, the reason I was away for such a long time is because three of my family members, albeit not very close ones, passed on and I was pretty depressed for a while. I hope that excuses my absence. If not.. SORRYYY..I don't know what else to offer you guys :D**


	3. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I'm baaack :)) Miss me? Yes? No? Heh. I have an awesome chapter planned for today! Also shout out to KrAzI JaY for being my first ever subscriber to this story! It's a new feeling for me.. so happehh :O Hee.. Anyways.. enough about me.. On to the next one~!**

Chapter 2

Ichigo stepped into the hospital's private bath and turned on the shower. He stared at his unshaven face in the mirror until it fogged up so much that he couldn't see his reflection anymore. He climbed inside and let the hot water soothe his muscles. He closed his eyes as fragments of his nightmare came back into his mind.

Grabbing a small courtesy soap, he scrubbed hard and long until his skin was soft and red, willing himself to think of something else. He thought back to the kind motherly doctor who suggested he seek therapy. As much as he respected her line of work, he knew that therapy wouldn't do anything to ease this pain, this guilt, lying in his chest.

Figuring he had had enough he threw the temperature to cold, shocking his body awake, and climbed out. He wrapped a towel around his waist and wiped a patch of fog from the mirror. His normally warm brown eyes were cold and bloodshot, his handsome face drawn and weary. And his muscular six-foot frame was sadly undernourished.

Only once before had Ichigo ever been so filled with self-loathe before.

The incident four years ago.

Four years ago he had defied his father, an instructor at Soul Society Special Warfare School near their home in Karakura Town, Japan. Ichigo had tried out for and been accepted to the Japanese Olympic Basketball Team. Though his father knew he was a basketball prodigy, he didn't want him to go into professional athletics, instead wanting him to go to college and secure a future. Father and son were equally stubborn and neither of them spoke to each to other for a long period of time. They were more alike than either cared to admit, which was what made it so unbearable when the elder Kurosaki died of a tragic accident.

When Isshin Kurosaki was killed in a training accident, Ichigo was never the same. No matter how hard he tried he just couldn't get his head back into competitive ball. While he still loved the sport, it just didn't seem that important to him anymore.

Wanting to fulfill his father wishes he returned home and enrolled at his hometown school, the University of Karakura. There he studied poilitcal science and military history. Upon graduating, he joined the one school that his father had been infamous at.

Soul Society Special Warfare School.

Their soldiers, infamously known as "Shinigamis" for wearing all black and only black, were hand picked for being the best of the best. And Ichigo wanted to be the best.

Though the selection process and training regiments were grueling beyond measure, his mental and physical conditioning as a world-class athlete, his refusal to give up on anything, and the belief that his father would have been proud of him propelled him forward and granted him the honor of being one of SSSWS's elite warriors.

A full-fledged "Shinigami".

Eventually, he caught the attention of the members of the Soul Society's famed Captains, who helped hone his skills not only as a warrior, but as a interpreter, teaching him fluent English as well as many other foreign languages. With the exception of one fatal accident, he excelled in all his missions and assignments.

It was then when he had assisted a presidential security in Tokyo and caught the eyes of the President's national bodyguards.

The "Vaizards".

Wanting to bolster their ranks, they succeeded in wooing him away from Soul Society and back to their base in Tokyo. Ichigo soon proved himself even further, and was recommended for an above-top-secret program in Karakura Town, led by Urahara Kisuke, an old family friend and former head of the Science Research center at Soul Society.

The program was called the Hollow Project. Its purpose was to assist any and all police, military, and intelligence agencies in helping exterminate possible threats in Japan. As Ichigo was known in Karakura as a local cop, to the rest of Japan he was a national hero. But that fame went both ways, as his head was put on numerous bounties.

Ichigo didn't want to think about his job any longer. It was because of it, because of _him,_ that his mother had been shot.

The local authorities had been able to piece together some of what had happened. They had discovered the hiding spot the shooter had used in the woods near Ichigo's property. They had also discovered small carvings in the trees with the message: _That which has been taken in blood, can only be answered in blood._

He didn't need investigations to tell him that this was an act of war against him personally. What he needed were answers.

Now.

**DUN DUN DUUUUNN~~! Heh.. Longer than the previous one right? The chapters should get longer as they progress :D If the Bleach references are a bit too confusing tell me and i'll explain in the next chapter :) **

**Oh and in this fictional Japan, Karakura Town will play a major role if you haven't figured out yet. Uhmm.. also.. I suck at geography and so I have no clue as to what city goes where so if there are some mistakes bear with me pleeeeassee :P**

**AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! THEY MAKE ME HAPPY! I ONLY HAD ONE FOR TWO CHAPTERS :( WHYYYYY? Heh.**

**Bye 3**

**-SoC**


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